The Shifter Chronicles: Poka's Past
by poka
Summary: The story of Poka, a Shifter in Xtreme Gamer's Shifter Chronicles, and how he became a Pokemon and a human. How he became the prey. How he became the lone wolf against the tide of an organisation that is believed to be unstoppable. In progress.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Pain. That was the first thing that I felt when I awoke. My body felt like it was on fire. Slowly, I lifted myself off the floor of my cell. The agony tore through my body like acid through steel. How could my life have descended into hell so quickly? How did my life fall apart at one of the greatest moments of my life?

I glared at the cold hard cell below my feet, before shifting my eyes to the door of my prison. I needed a way out...

Beyond the door, I could see a bag. Within the bag, I knew, were my Pokeballs, within which were my only true friends. I couldn't count on anyone but them. Not after what happened last time...

_-0-Flashback-0-_

I stepped out of the tunnel and into the blinding lights of the Sinnoh league stadium. The roar of the crowd reached my ears a split second later, almost bursting my eardrums. I glanced around, picking out friends and family from the stands before inhaling deeply, taking in everything from the blimp above to each and every pebble on the battle field. Anticipation seemed to radiate out of each person within the complex.

My opponent, Aly Kaysa, stood at the opposite end of the field, her auburn locks billowing in the wind. Our eyes locked and I grinned, nodding in greeting.

Finally, the referee stepped onto the podium above the stage as the crowd's roar faded into silence. The tournament finals were about to begin.

* * *

A/N: Here is the start of my new story Poka's Past, and the journey my character experiences in the lead up to Xtreme Gamer's Shifter chronicles. I Hope that you will enjoy it and stick with me through to the very end.


	2. Chapter 1: Sparks Fly

A/N: Hey guys, here's the next chapter in Poka's Past. Sorry this took so long. School, swimming, exams and life in general got in the way, but really, I have no excuse. Having said that, this chapter is one of my longer ones, being about 1000 words in length. Hopefully, the next chapter will go up reasonably quickly. I've already started writing.

Also, thank you to all of you who read and reviewed my story, and to those who have added me to their author/story alert. Don't forget to R&R at the end!

Enough distractions. Let's get the show on the road.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. Enough said.

* * *

Chapter 1: Sparks Fly

I couldn't believe how quickly the battle was going down the drain. Aly had already wiped the floor with Featherblade, my Pidgey. Zero, my Luxio, wasn't fairing much better. I winced as Zero took another hit from Aly's Staraptor, the Aerial Ace attack slamming him into a crater repeatedly.

That Staraptor didn't even look puffed, and that was no mean feet, considering that I had only used Featherblade to reach the finals of the Pokémon League. I hadn't needed to use anyone else.

"Takedown!" Aly yelled, snapping me out of my stupor.

"Wait for it Zero…"

The Luxio crouched as his opponent drew closer by the second. I grinned, realising that I had the upper hand, knowing exactly what to do.

"Now! Iron Tail!" I called triumphantly.

"Block with Steel Wing!"

Sparks flew as the two attacks collided, pushing against each other to get past the opponents defences. I nodded to Zero and the Pokémon unleashed a Thunderbolt attack at point blank

Volt after volt after volt flooded through the Luxio's Iron Tail attack and into the Staraptor's Steel Wing. The bird Pokémon shrieked as electricity coursed into its body, struggling to escape the tail wrapped around its wing. Finally, the attack let up as Zero leapt away from the bird.

"Staraptor, use Roost!"

I swore loudly. We had to take out that bird before it could get a break.

"Shockwave! Take it out before it can land Zero!" The electric dog nodded, then reared high into the air, before pounding his electrically charged paws repeatedly into the ground. Shockwave domes rapidly expanded out of his body, flooding the stadium – but to no avail. The bird had landed and rested, while Zero's attack did minimal damage.

I glanced at Zero, swearing again. He was clearly exhausted after taking hit upon hit, time and time again.

"Can you keep going?" I called to the electric type. He nodded slowly and bared his fangs.

"Staraptor, Let's finish this – Razor wind!"

"Time to Charge up Zero."

_It's now or never, time to use our finishing move._ I thought, watching the electricity flow into Zero's body from all around the stadium. The lights sparked and shorted out and Pokétechs all around suddenly shut off as the dog drew as much power into his body as he could manage.

"Go!" I shouted, "Thunder Tail!"

The Luxio charged forward towards the flying type, powering up an Iron Tail in the process.

"Dodge it! Take to the sky!"

I smirked inwardly, but kept my poker face on; knowing one slip up would give my plan away.

"Now!" I cried victoriously.

Zero leapt high into the air, front flipping to smash the Iron tail into Aly's Staraptor.

"Dodge it using double team!" Aly's command caused me to smirk. There was no escape now.

As the electric type fell back to earth, he flipped again. A small bolt of electricity flew through the sky, carrying a virtually invisible orb which simply floated in the very centre of the circle of double team copies, completely unseen.

"Thunder!" I cried, not giving Aly any time to call out her next command.

I watched as the lightning bolt sailed straight through the centre of the ring of copies and grinned. There was no escape.

From the other side of the field, Aly snorted before commenting scathingly, "Your pokémon needs to work on its AIM, idiot."

My attention turned back to the sky to the Bird(s) waiting for an order when suddenly, the orb in the centre of the circle pulsed once, and sent out thin bolts of lightning which wrapped themselves around the bird pokemon forming the circle, effectively attaching each bird to the tiny ball floating in the sky.

Said ball then rapidly expanded, swallowing the entire circle. You could practically hear the crowd draw a collective breath as the Staraptor disappeared within the sphere before promptly imploding and sending the bird hurtling head first into the ground.

I grinned at the look of astonishment on Aly's face as her pokémon struggled to get up.

"You okay Zero?" I asked, my eyes flicking between said Luxio, Aly and her Staraptor.

("I don't know how much longer I can keep this up.") he replied through his laboured breathing. Clearly, this battle was taking its toll on the electric type.

Again, my eyes flicked towards the flying type struggling in the centre of the field, sparks dancing over its body. Finally, it slumped over and closed in defeat, having fought against the paralysis that was clearly taking its toll on the pokémon.

I allowed myself to release the breath I hadn't even known I was holding until then. This fight was far from over though.

"One down, five to go..." I whispered to myself.

My hand went for the pokéball on my belt before remembering the rules of this final match. Neither trainer was allowed to switch pokémon until their own had been defeated.

* * *

With one pokémon down on each side and me only having four in total, how will I fair in the next round? Will I be able to swing things my way? Only time will tell. Find out, in the next chapter of **The Shifter Chronicles: Poka's Past**


	3. Chapter 2: Fighting Fire with Fire

A/N: Hey all, here's the next chapter of The Shifter Chronicles: Poka's Past, the second chapter of the finals out of four. I think that I'm going to have to start assigning myself a time limit to how long I have to get the chapters up... Still, with the addition of one or two new songs to my friend's IPod (I'm borrowing it because mine had a date with the devil – note, it's basically dead) I found myself inspired to write.

Special thanks must go to Xtreme Gamer, seeing as he was the only one to review, with the exception of my awesome Beta Moonwing Storyteller. Thank you to you both!

I do make an effort to go through and read and reply to each and every review; though if you didn't get a reply from me then say so in your review and I'll make sure to.

No more delays – lets go.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, just this story and plotline. Pity I don't make any cash from it…

* * *

**Chapter 2: Fighting Fire with Fire**

-0-

"_One down, five to go..." I whispered to myself._

_My hand went for the pokéball on my belt before remembering the rules of this final match. Neither trainer was allowed to switch pokémon until their own had been defeated._

-0-

_Well_, I thought, _that's going to make things a little more difficult. _

"Charizard, go!" Aly cried, tossing another pokéball onto the field.

The fire dragon that appeared was gigantic; terrifying even, yet Zero stood his ground as the fierce beast roared.

"BEGIN!" hollered the referee.

"Shockwave!" I called to Zero, attempting to get a hit in at least once.

But it was not to be. Without an order from Aly, the dragon flapped its wings and flew into the sky, avoiding the entire attack.

"Protect!" once again, Zero was quick to respond. I just hoped that his protect would let the little Luxio survive the hit unscathed. Once again though, luck wasn't on my side. The fire/flying type crashed into the shield, which was already weak from Zero's fatigue, and shattered it, impacting into the electric dog.

I winced. That had to hurt.

_After a hit like that, there's no way Zero could get up. _I thought, before shaking my head. I had to believe in my pokémon.

True to my prediction though, when the dust cleared, Zero was lying in a heap, bruised, battered and unconscious. I sighed. It had been worth a try.

Carefully, I ran my hand across the belt of Pokéballs on my waist, before plucking one off my belt. Her abilities would be helpful in this battle.

"Inferno," I shouted, tossing the pokéball onto the battlefield, "you're up!"

The Arcanine release stood majestically on the rock field, her golden fur rippling in the wind as she roared a challenge to the fire dragon opposing her.

Once again, the referee brought his flags up before calling for the battle to begin.

Once again, Aly started first. "Flamethrower!" she called.

I smirked as Inferno simply stood to face the incoming fire. An orange glow surrounded her as the flames licked at the Arcanine's body, not in the least affecting her. At least, not visibly…

_Flash Fire. What a useful ability._ I mused as Aly's Charizard continued to exhale flames onto Inferno.

Finally, the fire dragon cut off its assault only to get hit in the stomach with an Extremespeed attack, leaving the Charizard gasping for air.

"What? How? That shouldn't be possible!" Aly cried, astonished at seeing the Arcanine was not only still standing, but still had the ability to attack.

I simply grinned in response to Aly's reaction.

She simply narrowed her eyes at me before shouting, "Charizard, use Aerial Seismic Toss!"

The fire dragon picked up Inferno, gripping her around the body as he took the Legend pokémon high into the sky.

"Inferno, Extremespeed! Get onto his back!"

Said fire dog scrambled out of the Charizard's grip, digging her claws into his stomach as she went, before launching herself over the dragon's shoulder, hooking onto his horns to sling herself onto his back.

"Now! Thunder Fang! Go for the wing!" I shouted, smiling. There was no possible way to escape.

Inferno complied, sinking her teeth into the fire/flying type's wing. Lightning flashed as Aly's Charizard roared in pain, his wing jerking spasmodically as it crumpled by his side. The action caused the two to flip, and spiral towards the ground, Inferno still on the fire dragon's back.

I watched with rapt attention as the two fell uncontrollably towards the ground, speed increasing with every passing second, confident that Inferno would know what she had to do.

As the ground neared with ever increasing velocity, Inferno tensed. She would need to time this exactly right.

The ground exploded in a cloud of dust and dirt as Inferno leapt off the back of Aly's Charizard at the last second, landing gracefully on her feet, outside of the dust cloud.

"And here... we... go." Aly said, smirking, a feral grin that slightly unnerved me.

A slight glow lit up within the dust cloud. Half a second later, a pillar of fire and an earthshaking roar erupted from within, rapidly dispelling the dust cloud and revealing the demonic form of the dragon within.

"Ah crap." I muttered.

The dragon roared again as Inferno braced herself.

"Charizard, use Heat Wave." Aly's command came like a crack of lighting, sudden but expected.

The flames surrounding said dragon pulsed, engulfing the entire area in sweltering heat. The ring of fire expanded, swallowing Inferno in the inferno. I cringed, knowing that even with Flash Fire, this attack would hurt.

Predictably, the orange glow surrounded the Arcanine as she was swallowed whole by the flames.

"Inferno, use Extremespeed to run circles within the fireball!" I cried; my mind racing as a plan formulated within.

The air within the fireball began to rotate in a makeshift whirlwind attack as Inferno ran rings within the rapidly shrinking fireball. Then, the whirlwind came into contact and my makeshift plans became obvious. Slowly but surely, the flames were sucked into the funnel and Inferno was freed.

I nodded towards the Arcanine, giving her the signal. Her Extremespeed attack still going strong, she once again bolted towards the fire dragon, dragging the fire funnel as if it was on an invisible leash. At the last second, Inferno leapt on the Charizard's head and drove him into the ground, before bolting off. Meanwhile, the fire dragon yanked his head out of the ground only to be immersed in a burning tornado of fire.

"Charizard, out and up – you know what to do!"

_Uh-oh… that doesn't sound good._ I thought apprehensively, already thinking of numerous ways to stop whatever plan Aly had set in motion.

The duel type snapped open its wings, dispelling the fiery whirlwind that had engulfed it, before leaping forward and snatching Inferno of the ground.

_That,_ I thought, blinking,_ was completely unexpected. Why would she try the same move again?_

Without needing a command, Inferno already knew what to do. Electricity crackled around her maw as she lunged towards the dragon, only to be yanked back by his claws. I growled, annoyed. Clearly, they were expecting us to take the same approach, and we fell into that trap.

"Now Charizard!" Aly shouted, a triumphant grin on her face.

The dual type exploded into action as the two continued to soar up, high into the stratosphere. He back flipped end over end over end, tucking his wings in to flip faster and faster, before launching the now dizzy Arcanine further into the sky and out of sight.

I swore again, searching for my friend. Finally, I spotted Inferno dropping back to earth unable to stop. My brain kicked into overdrive as I sought a way for my friend to survive the devastating combo.

A light bulb went on in my head. The idea was risky, but there was no other way.

"INFERNO!" I shouted as loudly as possible, hoping that my voice would project far enough to reach the plummeting dog-like Pokémon, "FIRE BLAST!"

The reaction was immediate, and I knew that Inferno had heard. The Arcanine launched the Fiery attack at Aly's Charizard from above, who rolled to the side to avoid the move – and straight into Inferno's path, the five pointed star hitting the ground below, and much to everyone else's surprise, did not dispel.

"NOW, USE FLARE BLITZ!"

Flames enveloped Inferno once again, sending her rocketing forward and into the fire dragon, sending them both hurtling to the ground.

The impact was enormous, leaving a gaping hole in the ground and sending cracks spider webbing out all the way to the walls and throwing up dust and smoke everywhere as they hit the dead centre of the five pointed star.

The crowed watched with a collective gasp. I held my breath, hoping Inferno was okay.

The dust cleared…

* * *

A/N: And that's the end of that chapter. Make sure to click that little button down there and leave a REVIEW!


	4. Chapter 3: Fire and Water

A/N: Hey all, here is next chapter of The Shifter Chronicles: Poka's Past. The cliffy I left you with will be resolved in this third chapter of the Sinnoh League finals. I'm thinking a three week limit. What do you suggest? May not be out by the end of these first three weeks though, due to being away in NZ… so… just thought I'd give you some forewarning.

Once again, thank you to my wonderful Beta Reader Moonwing Storyteller – here forth referred to as M.S.

Ok, time for me to stop procrastinating. I present to you, Chapter 3: Fire and Water.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, just this story, my characters and plotline. Pity I don't make any cash from it…

Note: Pokémon Speech: ("speech")

* * *

**Chapter 3: Fire and Water**

-0-

_-_Last time_-_

_The impact was enormous, leaving a gaping hole in the ground and sending cracks spider webbing out all the way to the walls and throwing up dust and smoke everywhere as they hit the dead centre of the still burning five pointed star._

_The crowed watched with a collective gasp. I held my breath, hoping Inferno was okay._

_The dust cleared…_

-0-present-0-

I groaned, electricity passing through my body as I was administered another shock. The pain hurt like hell. My skin was charred and my head felt like it was about to explode from the pain. In front of me, I could hear each of my Pokémon groan as their shocks were administered too. The pain I had gone through at the hands of these bastards is I knew they were preparing something. I knew that this was all designed to break me. To break us.

Another shock coursed through my body and I swore. I could feel my skin being cooked, smell it getting burned. But that pain? That was nothing compared to hearing the screams of my Pokémon in front of me, knowing that I was unable to free them from this... this... prison.

-0-

A tear slipped down my cheek as I watched my Pokémon spasm, electricity almost constantly flooding their bodies. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that I was going through the same thing that they were, but I had long since passed the point where I was feeling no pain anymore. Many of my nerves had been fried by the electricity to the point where they would need months to recover. I wouldn't lose all feeling, but it would be hard to get me to feel any pain that isn't extreme. Truth is, who knew how much feeling I would regain?

I watched as my Pokémon, my friends were administered one final shock before our chains were released and we were dragged back to our cell for the remainder of the week.

-0-flashback-0-

The dust cleared, exposing Inferno standing regally in the centre of the burnt out five point star, having used her Flash Fire ability to absorb the flames and return some of her strength.

Below her in a crumpled heap, lay her opponent, Aly's Charizard. I grinned, wide eyed, thankful that my friend was okay, and that the stunt we had pulled worked.

The dual type dragon groaned, and Inferno leapt off his back as the Charizard struggled to his knees. No such luck. With one last grunt of exhaustion, the dragon keeled over, unconscious.

"Gah…" Aly said, pulling out two Pokéballs. She sighed, holding out the one that belonged to her Charizard and recalled it. "You did well Charizard." She said before calling to me from across the field.

"You've done well so far, But can your Pokémon hold its own against a type disadvantage?" She taunted, tossing out her third Pokémon.

A flash light and a snake like Pokémon appeared, its fanlike tail curling around its body.

_Milotic. Oh hell… that could cause some problems._ I thought, as the water Pokémon appeared. _Joy. A Bulky Water type. With Marvel Scale as an ability. _

"You ready Inferno?" I asked, clearly ignoring Aly's question

("Yep")

"Then here we go – kick it off with Extremespeed!"

"Surf's up Milotic."

Inferno vanished from her place as a gargantuan wall of water formed underneath the Tender Pokémon, raising it high into the sky as water flooded the arena, preventing the Arcanine's movement.

But Inferno was no longer on the ground, instead choosing to perch regally on top of the water type's back, safe from the watery confines of the arena.

I smirked; knowing that there was no way that Milotic could avoid damage from Inferno's next attack.

"Thunder fang, Inferno!" I cried.

The Arcanine bit down on the serpent's neck, and electricity flooded through the water Pokémon. With no way to ground the energy running through its body, the Tender Pokémon squirmed in an attempt to remove the fire type from its back, shrieking in pain as it did so. Inferno hung on tight, digging her claws into the serpent's skin.

Finally, as the water from Milotic's surf attack receded, Inferno released her death grip on the water type and leapt onto solid ground.

The snake like Pokémon twitched as it hit the ground, sparks still dancing over her body.

_Crap. _I thought, mentally grimacing. _Milotic's paralysed. That's going to make it a lot harder for us..._

As if reading my mind, Inferno spoke up.

("Lachlan, we need a plan!") She cried, watching as the water type finally managed to get moving.

"I'm working on it Inferno! Buy us some time!"

"Milotic, Recover!"

I sighed, watching as orbs of energy materialised above. Then, a plan slowly began to form in my mind. _So crazy, it just might work..._

"Inferno! You need to get those spheres!" I shouted, pointing to the said spheres that were being drawn in by the Tender Pokémon.

("On it!")

The Arcanine bolted towards the Milotic, charging through the energy spheres and absorbing their energy as she did so, before grabbing one in her mouth and dashing away, looking noticeably revitalised.

"Use Thunder Fang! Force the orb to absorb the electrical energy!" I ordered.

Inferno began to do just that, and soon, I could see the spherical shape beginning to crackle with electricity.

I was grinning like an idiot, my plan seemingly working as electrical energy continued to be absorbed by the orb, which, by now, was protruding out of Inferno's maw.

"Release it Inferno! Hit Milotic at point blank range!" The dog like Pokémon charged forwards and fired the attack at the water type, using flamethrower to propel the crackling sphere forwards at high speed. That's where it all went wrong.

"Milotic, use your Aqua Tail to redirect the electrical flow!" Aly yelled.

Milotic quickly complied, and, despite being pounded mercilessly by electricity, managed to hit Inferno with its Aqua Tail.

The Arcanine shrieked and spasmed. I swore, realising my mistake. By getting so close to Milotic, I had allowed Inferno to become a target for Aqua Tail, allowing Aly's Milotic to use the water to redirect the flow of electrical energy into Inferno, who was quickly wearing out from the double elemental attack.

"Inferno, get out of there!" I cried, watching as the Arcanine writhed. I grimaced, hoping that she would be ok.

("I – I c-can't... b-break... free! It h-hurts... so... m-much!") Inferno replied through ragged gasps.

"Then do what you can Inferno... I trust you!" I balled my fists and hoped that she would be ok.

To my surprise, Inferno did the one thing everyone (me included) least expected. She completed the circuit. Clamping down on the base of the serpent's neck, she effectively made a ring, allowing the electricity to flow back into the serpent's body. Then, she used flamethrower.

The resulting explosion sent Inferno and Milotic hurtling away to opposite ends of the battlefield, smoke rising from both charred forms.

_Inferno... Well done my friend... thank you..._ I smiled grimly, watching as Aly called back Milotic. I followed suit. "You did great Inferno... Take a well deserved break."

The round was a draw.

* * *

A/N: To anyone who doesn't know what a bulky water type is; it effectively means that they are known to take a beating and still have the strength to fight. In terms of the games however, this means that they have a LOT of hit points (Wailord being the most prominent (though it doesn't really have the defence to back it up), but including Milotic, Swampert, Blastoise and the like).

Also, Marvel Scale – Excellent ability to have. Defence is raised by 1.5 times when under the effect of a status attack. That means Sleep, Paralysis, Burn, Poison and Freeze.

Wow… these chapters just keep getting longer and longer… Last one was a little more than one and a half thousand words, the one before that was around 1k. This one was... *checks word count* about 2k. I'll aim for above 3k next chapter I think...

So, after defeating Aly's Milotic as well as her Charizard, Inferno has gone down too. How will I pull my ass out of the fire when I have only one Pokémon left? What's worse, Aly has 3 left. Stay tuned for the final chapter of the league. It's where it all begins! Don't forget to read and review!

**BEFORE I FORGET: **If you guys want to take a look at Poka, the Ver 0.5 is up on DA. Here is the link: .com/#/d35wbew


	5. Chapter 4: The Last Blast

_A/N: Hey all, here is next chapter of The Shifter Chronicles: Poka's Past. The cliffy I left you with will be resolved in this fourth and final chapter of the Sinnoh League finals. I've given you some little flashes of what Poka is going through currently. You'll see what happened to him after the finals. It's where it all begins. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS CHAPTER IS IMPORTANT TO THE PLOT!_

_Anyway... I wrote all of this on my (dodgy) IPod. I had this done by the time I got back, but I couldn't see anything on the screen and therefore, couldn't copy it over onto the computer._

_Once again, thank you to my wonderful Beta Reader M.S (Moonwing Storyteller) and my reviewers._

_Ok, time for me to stop procrastinating. I present to you, Chapter 4: Payback._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, just this story, my characters and plotline. Pity I don't make any cash from it…_

_

* * *

_

_Chapter 4: The Last Blast_

P.O.V: Point Of View

("Pokémon Speech")

_Thoughts_

_Last time:_

_To my surprise, Inferno did the one thing everyone (me included) least expected. She completed the circuit. Clamping down on the base of the serpent's neck, she effectively made a ring, allowing the electricity to flow back into the serpent's body. Then, she used flamethrower._

_The resulting explosion sent Inferno and Milotic hurtling away to opposite ends of the battlefield, smoke rising from both charred forms._

Inferno... Well done, my friend... thank you..._ I smiled grimly, watching as Aly called back Milotic. I followed suit. "You did great Inferno... Take a well deserved break."_

_The round was a draw. _

_

* * *

_

-0- Present Day -0-

_You have to keep going!_ I thought, my lungs burning as I attempted to draw enough oxygen to keep my fatigued body going. Behind me, far in the distance, alarms blared as searchlights swept over the fields. I ducked behind a tree as one passed much too close, my chest heaving. Quickly, I checked that I still had my exhausted Pokémon and spare Pokéballs, as well as the supplies I had managed to pilfer on my way out – food, water, Max Revives and Full Restores.

After what felt like years of imprisonment we had finally escaped captivity. _I'll be damned if we ever go back there again._ I thought sourly.

The sound of barking got me moving again as I swore silently, knowing that we would only be free if I could escape these damned Houndoom they had set on us.

I sprinted through the forest; occasionally looking over my shoulder to see how far behind the search party was, dodging trees as I ran.

_Crap!_ I swore mentally, skidding to a halt. I had reached the edge of the forest and the start of the plains. Taking a quick glance up, I spotted several dark shapes in the night sky. _Honchkrow. Great. If I take one step out of this forest, they'll be on me in an instant. My Pokémon are too exhausted to deal with them, not to mention that we don't have the time. And those Houndoom are catching up._

In a split second, I made my decision, did an about-face and bolted back into the forest and away from the open fields. All the while, the hounds' baying was getting louder.

_There!_

The sound of raging water reached my ears and I turned to follow the noise of the one thing that would hopefully allow me to escape. I picked up my pace, glimpsing the dark shapes of the Houndoom flitting between the trees behind me as I ran.

_This is going to be a close call. _I thought, a twinge of panic passing fleetingly through my mind before I strengthened my resolve and zeroed in on my target.

By now, the racing river was little more than 200 metres away. I plunged through the tree line and the forest gave way to open field once again. A loud cry from above alerted me that the Honchkrow had spotted me. I swore again as I looked back, seeing the Houndoom break through the tree line as well.

This distraction nearly cost me my life as a Shadow Ball from above exploded as it hit the ground and sent me flying head over heels. I slammed into the ground on my back and used my momentum to back flip to my feet, once again tearing off towards the river.

I didn't look back, knowing just how close the Houndoom were to catching me. I put on a final burst of speed, dodging Shadow Balls as I ran across the open ground and launched myself off the cliff and into the roaring river below.

-0- Flashback -0-

I plucked the Pokéball of my final Pokémon off my belt, simultaneously recalling Inferno back into her Pokéball, thanking her as I did so.

_It's all up to you now... I believe in you._

"Miro, you're up!" I shouted, tossing the Pokéball high into the air.

A flash of red as Mirora (AKA Miro as she prefers to be called), my golden Dragonair, materialized with a ground shaking roar.

"No way!" The announcer cried, shock evident in his voice. "It's a legendary Shiny Pokémon!"

The crowd muttered and murmured, many clearly scratching their heads, wondering; just what was so special about Miro?

One man spoke up "Hey Dimwit!" he shouted at the announcer, "Care to elaborate on just what makes a Shiny Pokémon so special?"

The crowd laughed as the announcer flushed before explaining; "Well, apart from their obvious differences in colour, it is said that Shiny Pokémon appear once in a millennium to trainers of pure mind, body and soul. They are said to have exceptional abilities, able to rival even the Legendary Pokémon."

Aly swore, but regained her composure instantly.

"Right," she said, smirking. There was a strange look in her eyes that I didn't like. "Ditto, you're up!"

_Crap._

As if reading my mind, Aly commented nonchalantly, "You're in trouble now. A Ditto can replicate any Pokémon it sees, right down to their strengths."

I frowned, completely ignoring the girl. After all, she was telling me something I already knew. However, that wasn't what I was noticing. Something was... off... about that Ditto, though I couldn't place it.

("Lachlan, look at its eyes.") Miro whispered to me.

Then I noticed it too. Its eyes seemed to glow with a sort of ethereal power, almost as if it was possessed.

_No way... It can't be..._ If my hunch was right even Miro would have trouble with this battle.

"Miro, can you check it with your Aura Sight?" I asked. She nodded in reply.

That's right, you heard correctly. Mirora is one of those few rare Pokémon able to sense and use Aura at will.

("Shit.") Miro swore as the Ditto rearranged itself into an exact replica of her. ("That thing's a Shadow Pokémon!")

Now it was my turn to swear loudly as Aly laughed. Shadow Pokémon are excessively brutal and powerful, due to the fact that they feel virtually no emotion and can take absurd amounts of pain. That combination makes them extremely hard to beat.

The voice of the referee snapped me out of my stupor.

"Trainers, are you ready?" He cried. I nodded and Aly did likewise. "Begin!"

And so the battle began.

-0- Unknown P.O.V -0-

From underneath the hood of my cloak, I watched as the two Pokémon exchanged powerful blows again and again, before quietly moving to a secluded place where I couldn't be over heard. I flipped open my phone and dialled the only number on it, still observing the heated battle. Finally, the connection went through.

"Well?" the gravelly voice on the other side asked.

"Each team has great potential... but... the boy seems to have something that his opponent does not – a sort of... connection... if you will, with his Pokémon. It is my suggestion that we recruit him to our cause. If all else fails then the girl is the secondary option."

"Good. Approach him after the finals. Let me know the results of the battle as well." The line went dead and I moved back to my seat.

-0- Lachlan's P.O.V -0-

Mirora was taking a beating. We had tried every trick we knew and we were still coming up short. That blasted Shadow Pokémon was stopping everything we threw at it and reflecting our attacks back right at the dragoness.

"Miro, try another Ice Beam!" I shouted, my voice echoing throughout the stadium and drowning out the cheers and jeers of the crowd. Unfortunately though, like everything we had tried before, the attack was simply reflected back, forcing Mirora to twist her serpentine body out of harm's way.

_Damn it! There has to be some way to beat that blasted Ditto! If we could just purge its Shadow abilities... Wait, that's it!_

"Miro, use Mist to give you some cover!" The Dragonair looked at me like I was mad, but complied anyway, knowing that I had something up my sleeve.

Then I opened our bond and pushed my idea through the connection.

What is the bond, you ask? It is a rare connection of heart and soul that can only be formed willingly by both parties and each must trust each other implicitly. However, maintaining the bond is taxing, though the length of time and distance you can hold it increase as you use it more. Generally, when the bond is formed, only one will ever be achieved, though only twice has more than one connection been recorded in history.

Me? Well... I'm... different. For reasons unknown to me, I have been able to bond with each of my four Pokémon. As far as I know, I'm the only one who has been able to do this. But back to the battle.

Mirora's eyes widened when she received my idea. Using the cover of the mist, she floated upwards, occasionally using her Aura Sight to dodge any attacks that got to close. Finally, high in the sky, she began to prepare her attack. The dragoness's form began to glow as the mist obscuring the arena dispersed, its cover no longer needed.

"Ditto, knock that blasted dragon out of the sky with Ice Beam!" Aly ordered. I just grinned and watched as Miro's doppelganger sent the attack careening into the dragon with pin point accuracy.

The crowd gasped in horror as the frigid beam of energy collided with the golden dragon... only to gasp in shock as the attack was absorbed. Again and again and again, the copy fired off attacks that should have easily brought the dragoness down, only to find that nothing happened. And each time an attack hit, the aura around Mirora grew ever larger.

Finally, the attack was ready.

"Miro, now! Dragon Purge!"

A bright flash erupted from the Dragonair's body, blinding everyone inside the arena (well... everyone except Aly and I – we were protected by an electronic field that surrounded the trainers box which was designed to negate any Pokémon attack).

Soon, the effects of the flash faded, and the crowd gasped in shock and awe. A fiery blue Dragonite floated behind Miro, created from the dragoness's Aura. It towered above the golden dragon, reaching a little more than 20 metres from head to foot.

Together, the two dragons flipped head over tail, completely in sync, and dove headfirst towards the startled Shadow Pokémon. At the last second, Miro pulled up before she hit her doppelganger and landed softly on the ground. The Aura Dragonite didn't stop though, ploughing straight through the ditto. A shriek tore from its throat as a second flash blinded the stadium, this time emitted from the soon-to-be-Ex Shadow Pokémon.

As the audience's sight returned to them, the results of the battle became clear. Miro floated in front of my trainer's box, looking slightly worse for wear, but otherwise unharmed. At the opposite end, the pink blob that was the true from of Ditto lay passed out on the ground. Hovering behind it was a black mist. This was the Shadow that had tainted the Ditto and forced it into closing the door to its heart. Having been purged from its host, the Shadow dispersed forever.

-0- Unknown P.O.V -0-

Once again, I moved back to the secluded area, now that the final match had finished. I pulled the phone out of my pocket and relayed the events of the final battle to my boss.

"As I said before sir, they both have potential. However, the final battle proves it. There is no doubt that the boy has an extraordinary bond with his Pokémon. For that Dragonair to best three Pokémon, including a Shadow Pokémon, is nothing short of amazing."

The gravely voice spoke harshly. "As soon as the ceremony is completed, recruit him. Call me when you have an answer and we'll go from there. If he refuses, capture him by any means necessary. But make sure the boy lives." The line went dead.

* * *

A/N: Alright, alright, it's probably not as long as I said it would be. Gimme a break though, I wrote the entire thing on my IPod while I was travelling New Zealand.

Also, Seeing as the link didn't turn up properly last time, if you want to take a look at Poka, here is V0.5: http : / pokax . deviantart . com / # / d35wbew don't forget to remove the spaces.

Why are these people interested in me? What do they want me for? Find out in the next chapter of The Shifter Chronicles: Poka's Past.


	6. Chapter 5: An Offer

_A/N: Hey all, here is next chapter of The Shifter Chronicles: Poka's Past. Don't forget to read and review people!_

_I have to appologise for not getting it out earlier... for some reason, the website wouldn't allow me to make the update and kept comming up with an error code every time I tried to access any of my stories. Anyway..._

_Time for me is limited at the moment due to the fact that school has once again gone back and I have now started year 12. Updates may be few and far between (or… more so anyway…) but I'll try to keep that to a minimum._

_Once again, thank you to my wonderful Beta Reader M.S (Moonwing Storyteller) and my reviewers._

_Ok, time for me to stop procrastinating. I present to you, Chapter 5: An Offer_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, just this story, my characters and plotline. Pity I don't make any cash from it…_

* * *

"Speech"

_Thoughts_

("Pokémon Speech")

_Chapter 5: An Offer_

_Last time:_

_Together, the two dragons flipped head over tail, completely in sync, and dove headfirst towards the startled Shadow Pokémon. At the last second, Miro pulled up before she hit her doppelganger and landed softly on the ground. The Aura Dragonite didn't stop though, ploughing straight through the Ditto. A shriek tore from its throat as a second flash blinded the stadium, this time emitted from the soon-to-be-Ex Shadow Pokémon._

_As the audiences' sight returned to them, the results of the battle became clear. Miro floated in front of my trainer's box, looking slightly worse for wear, but otherwise unharmed. At the opposite end, the pink blob that was the true from of Ditto lay passed out on the ground. Hovering behind it was a black mist. This was the Shadow that had tainted the Ditto and forced it into closing the door to its heart. Having been purged from its host, the Shadow dispersed forever._

_-0-_

_The gravely voice spoke harshly. "As soon as the ceremony is completed, recruit him. Call me when you have an answer and we'll go from there. If he refuses, capture him by any means necessary. But make sure the boy lives." The line went dead._

-0- Present day -0-

I groaned as I opened my eyes before quickly shutting them again, the sunlight burning my retinas for a brief second. _Ooh… my head…_ I thought, moaning again, before opening my eyes for the second time. The light still burned, though this time I refused to squeeze my eyes shut. Slowly, I sat up and took in my surroundings.

At first glance, it seemed I was still in the forest. The dappled sunlight flowed through the canopy as wind rustled through the leaves causing the light to shift and shimmer. The sound of running water reached my ears and I looked to my left, sluggishly realising that was where I had washed up. The river was no longer flowing swiftly, rather, calmly drifting along without a care in the world. The area appeared to be hidden from anyone not travelling by river as on the other side of the river was a cliff wall.

_Well, I seem to be a long way from where I jumped at least. _

Slowly, I got to my feet. It was then that I realised that my bag was missing, though my Pokéballs were still on my belt. I swore loudly and spun around quickly, searching for my bag. To my relief, I found it drying out on a nearby branch.

_How the hell did it get there?_ I thought, raising an eyebrow in question. The answer came when I heard a twig snap behind me. I turned around and came face to face with Zero and Mirora entering the hidden beach, carrying a dead Stantler between them. Inferno followed behind the two, kindling in her mouth. She dropped the firewood on the small pile that was gathered in the centre of the alcove and lit the stack of wood with a small ember.

I sighed as the warmth from the fire seeped into my body, before looking at the dead Stantler that had been deposited by the fire.

("We figured it would be best if we saved what food we had for when we really need it.") Mirora said, catching my inquisitive glance at the Pokémon. I just nodded. It was a good idea.

"Where are we?" I asked.

Zero tiredly pointed a paw at the sky, ("I sent Featherblade off to do a recon of the area, so we should know soon enough.")

As if premeditated, the Pidgey flew in only seconds later.

("Alright, here's the deal.") Featherblade spread a wing, pointing up river, ("A few kilometres up river, there's a small township. A few houses, nothing much, but we can take the time to rest up and get the important stuff there.") He turned and pointed in the other direction. ("We came from that direction. It would seem that we're nowhere near where the facility. Wherever the river took us, I don't think we're in any danger of being caught. We're too far out of their range. Even with my keen eyes, I couldn't spot the facility.") The bird turned and gestured at the woods opposite the river. ("The woods are surrounded by all sides by a cliff face. That means that the only way out is through the river, unless I missed a cave within the forest. Considering how dense it is, it wouldn't surprise me. Also, this place is pretty much invisible by air. You won't get any flying types spotting us in here.)

I nodded and rubbed my arms. Despite the warm fire, I was still cold and my clothes were completely soaked. The breeze was only making things worse, and the day was slowly shifting to night.

"Alright… I think that we'll need to start keeping watch, maybe doing the occasional patrol too. For now, this can be our base while we get any supplies needed." I sneezed before continuing, "Tomorrow we'll head downriver into the town. I'll need to get a sleeping bag and a map at the very least." I motioned to Zero, "Zero, I want you to do a patrol around the cliff area – see if you can find a tunnel too. If you find any sign of trouble, return immediately. Be back around midnight. Miro, you'll take the first watch. But right now, I think we should eat." I sneezed once again and buried myself into Inferno's warm fur, knowing that it would keep me warm for the night, despite me being completely soaked through.

-0- Flashback -0-

I couldn't believe it. The Sinnoh League was over and I had won the final battle.

I was standing on the winners podium, my Pokémon were standing either side of me, huge grins on their face.

Cynthia, the current league champion stepped towards the microphone as the Sinnoh League Director finished his (surprisingly short – thank Arceus) speech and grabbed the trophy before walking over to me.

"May we present to you, the winner of the Sinnoh League!" She shouted over the roar of the crowd, before handing me the cup and placing a medal around the neck of each of my four Pokémon.

While I was never one for big crowds, screaming fans and the like, the atmosphere was like nothing I'd ever felt – there's nothing quite like it.

Finally though, we were escorted off the stage and out of the arena. My Pokémon and I breathed a sigh of relief. Clearly, they felt the same about the crowds.

We were dropped off at our suite, where, exhausted, we collapsed unceremoniously on top of the bed and promptly fell asleep.

-0-

The next day, we didn't stick around. After packing my bag, having breakfast and calling each of my Pokémon back to their Pokéballs, I began the long journey home.

"Hey Lachlan, wait up!" The sound of a strangely grating voice reached my ears, and I turned.

Someone I didn't recognise was running up the beaten path towards me, calling my name. I raised an eyebrow, wondering how he knew me.

_Oh wait… I'm famous now…_

"I have… a proposition… for you." He said through laboured breathing, before slinging his bag off his shoulder, pulling out a fold out table along with a gargantuan stack of paper, which he placed on aforementioned table.

I looked from the paper stack to the man and back.

_Something doesn't feel right about this…_

"We at Galactic Services wish for you to join us,"

I frowned. _That name… Where do I know it from?_ I thought as the man continued to ramble on about the benefits that joining the company would give me.

Then I remembered. _Galactic Services is the cover name for Team Galactic!_ My eyes widened with the realisation, then narrowed swiftly.

I pushed the button on Inferno's Pokéball, releasing the Arcanine.

"Look, whoever you are, I don't want anything to do with Team Galactic." I growled menacingly as his eyes widened. "Yes, I know you work for them."

He sneered at me and said; "Either you join willingly, or we make you."

At his blatant threat, I snorted and gestured to Inferno, who promptly incinerated the entire table, contract and all.

The grunt stared at the ashes of his table, doing a passable Magikarp expression.

Again I gestured to the table; "This is what I think of your offer. Now take your sorry ass and get the hell out of my sight." I said, a hard edge clearly evident in my tone, before turning and resuming my journey, Inferno pacing beside me.

I didn't get very far before I felt a hand grip my arm tightly. I sighed. _He just doesn't seem to get the point._

"As I said before, we'll make you join!" And then he screamed, letting go of my arm at the same time.

When I turned around, Inferno was standing on top of the man, digging her claws into his chest and bearing her fangs at him as he shrieked. I laughed, amusement dancing in my eyes, before asking the Arcanine to get off him.

"I don't think that you get the point. As I said before; take your sorry ass and GET THE HELL OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

Inferno's accompanying roar sent the man scurrying away, shirt shredded and chest bleeding as he called over his shoulder, "You'll pay for this, mark my words!"

-0- _Galactic Grunt's POV_ -0-

I did not head back to my accommodation after my encounter with the Sinnoh League winner. Instead, again, I pulled out my phone and gave my report.

"I failed, sir. He saw straight through the ploy."

Silence for a while, before the gravelly voice on the other side spoke. "Then it's a good thing that the other competitor agreed to join the team, despite knowing who we were."

This caused me to raise an eyebrow. "That's… odd…" I said.

"Indeed. Nonetheless, she will be a useful ally. But let us move on to more pressing matters. Capture the boy and annihilate anything he has ever loved. But leave his Pokémon alive. We'll need them later."

"Understood."

"Good. Get to work."

The call ended and I snapped the phone shut, pulling out a Pokéball and releasing my Swellow.

"We're headed to Iron Island. There's a small hidden village on the northern side that we need to wipe of the face of the planet." I jumped on the Swallow Pokémon's back and together, we headed off to cause some havoc and devastation.

-0- _Lachlan's POV- three days later_ -0-

The boat finally began to slow down as we drew near to Iron Island. The home that I had been away from for nearly three years was just on the other side of the mountain.

The foreboding feeling in my stomach that I had had for the last two days seemed to grow as we moved closer and closer to the mountainous land mass that was home.

Finally, we entered Iron Port, on the southern side of the island. I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder, before leaping off the side of the cruise liner and onto the dock. Taking a moment to gather my wits, I reminisced as I looked around the bustling port. Then something caught my attention.

A flash of blue hair and silver clothing.

_Oh no…. please don't tell me that was what I thought it was…_

With that thought, I headed into the crowd. Another glimpse of blue hair flashed into sight and my fears were confirmed.

Team Galactic was here.


	7. Chapter 6: Disaster

_A/N: Hey all, here is next chapter of The Shifter Chronicles: Poka's Past. Don't forget to read and review people!_

_Time for me is limited at the moment due to the fact that school has once again gone back and I have now started year 12. Updates may be few and far between (or… more so anyway…) but I'll try to keep that to a minimum.__ On top of that, I've had... issues... at home, as well as helping friends with their own issues._

_A warning to the readers. This chapter is dark and has some mature themes in it. As such, I'm going to have to bump the rating up to M. I didn't intend for it to be this dark, but I guess recent events have influenced my writing a bit._

_Once again, thank you to my wonderful Beta Reader M.S (Moonwing Storyteller) and my reviewers._

_Ok, time for me to stop procrastinating. I present to you, Chapter __6: Disaster_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, just this story, my characters and plotline. Pity I don't make any cash from it…_

* * *

"Speech"

_Thoughts_

("Pokémon Speech")

_Chapter 6: Disaster_

_Last time:_

_-0- _Lachlan's POV- three days later _-0-_

_The boat finally began to slow down as we drew near to Iron Island. The home that I had been away from for nearly three years was just on the other side of the mountain._

_The foreboding feeling in my stomach that I had had for the last two days seemed to grow as we moved closer and closer to the mountainous land mass that was home._

_Finally, we entered Iron Port, on the southern side of the island. I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder, before leaping off the side of the cruise liner and onto the dock. Taking a moment to gather my wits, I reminisced as I looked around the bustling port. Then something caught my attention._

_A flash of blue hair and silver clothing._

Oh no…. Please don't tell me that was what I thought it was…

_With that thought, I headed into the crowd. Another glimpse of blue hair flashed into sight and my fears were confirmed._

_Team Galactic was here._

-0- Present day -0-

The town was in sight.

I sat on Mirora's back as we floated down the river towards the town, Featherblade flying high over head to spot any ambushes. So far, we'd been lucky. The forest was still as it was too early in the morning for any of the Pokémon to emerge yet. Paranoid? Sure, but after what we'd been through, better to be safe than sorry.

"See anything?" I called up to the Pidgey.

("So far so good.") He called back.

I nodded as we exited the forest. The scenery opened into an amazing sight. Grasslands as far as the eye could see, with hundreds of varieties of Pokémon side by side. Heracross and Combee flew from tree to tree, taking sap and nectar respectively. Growlith tumbled playfully, watched over by their parents. Stantler and Zebstrika grazing on the long grass, Goldeen and Magikarp splashing in the river we floated down, and, in the distance, sat the small town we were headed to.

Still, despite the peace, I was still wary of my surroundings.

"Miro, I don't like it here... Can we go any faster?" I asked the serpentine she-dragon.

She shook her head as we continued down the river. With a sigh, I extended my senses to their limits and returned to my vigilant watch.

-0-_later_-0-

_What the hell...?_ I thought, looking around as we entered the city. There was not a soul in sight. No stray Pokémon, no pedestrians hurrying down the street, buildings boarded up and in complete disarray. The place was a ghost town. It reminded me of a scene off the Sonic the Sandslash Movie. Moss and vines had overtaken many of the once pristine structures. The roads were cracked, and in several places, had gaping holes the size of a Mamoswine. Whatever caused this was big. Really big.

As I moved further in, my apprehension continued to rise. I called Zero from his Pokéball, motioning for silence as he emerged. Instantly, the Luxio was on alert – ears pricked for the slightest of sounds, hackles on end and eyes watchful.

Then we reached the town centre.

"Dear sweet Arceus..." I murmured at the sight, trying not to hurl.

It wasn't pleasant, to say the least. Bodies littered the Town Square, some impaled on nearby palings, others burnt beyond recognition and, by far the worst, people and Pokémon alike had been completely torn in half, their innards spilling out of their midsection. By the looks one each of their faces, it wasn't a quick death either.

Turning away from the horrific sight, I headed towards one of the decrepit stores. An old army disposal.

_Perfect._ I thought.

"Zero, let's grab what we need and get out of here. Something tells me that whatever hit this place isn't done here."

The Luxio shivered and nodded. I pushed open the door to the shop, which to my surprise, fell off its hinges and crashed to the floor, shattering the window inside.

I swore.

Zero and I bolted through and began grabbing any supplies we would need. Sleeping bag, knife, combat boots, camouflage, and combat pants, chucking everything haphazardly into my bag. I spotted a pair of black fingerless gloves on one of the shelves and grabbed them too, needing to replace my old pair which were in tatters on my hands. These ones would be more durable anyway, as they had leather patches in places for strength.

("Lachlan…") Zero muttered as we finished our re-supply.

I looked up from my bag, zipping it closed as I did so. The Luxio padded slowly backwards, away from the door-frame, his face etched in a silent snarl.

("I think it's time to go…")

There, blocking the doorway was the largest face I had ever seen, its eye taking up the entire shop window.

_Uh oh._

The beast roared.

-0- Flashback -0-

I ran through the dense crowd following the flashes of blue and silver as they headed towards my town.

_Gah, this isn't getting me anywhere!_ I thought angrily. _I need to get out of this crowd!_

Quickly, I scaled a nearby building, putting my parkour skills to use, before sprinting across the rooftops in pursuit of the Galactic Twits.

Then suddenly, they had vanished. One moment they were in my sight, the next… gone.

_Huh?_ I scratched my head, wondering where they had gone. _I know they were here…_

It was then that I realised something was wrong. Very, very wrong. The entire crowd had become silent, backing away from the building I stood on.

_Ah crap._ That was my only thought before the building below me exploded and flung me several hundred feet into the air.

"Miro, little help here!" I cried, releasing her from her Pokéball on my belt.

("I got ya,") she said, smiling grimly as she floated underneath me. I landed on her back and directed her downwards.

"What would I do without you?"

("You wouldn't be here without me") Mirora replied, sticking out her tongue and laughing melodically.

"No doubt about that."

We were silent for a few seconds as we floated down.

"Miro, that foreboding feeling is getting stronger again." I said, looking at the ruined building below us and the slowly dispersing crowd.

The golden Dragonair was quiet. Then;

("I think we need to get to Riveriron.") She said. ("There's something going on here… and I have a feeling it involves your home Lachlan.")

**BOOM!**

The sound of another explosion reached our ears, this time in the direction of my hometown. I swore. There was only one town in that direction.

"Miro, Riveriron is being attacked!" I exclaimed. "We've gotta go. Quick!"

With that, we surged forward, towards our home.

-0-Later-0-

The entire town was in ruins. Smouldering piles of rubble littered the streets, remainders of the homes and shops that had been here before. The sky was black with the smoke of fires as we flew through the wreckage of our home.

To all of this, I paid no attention. The sounds of battle rang out. I could see hundreds of people and Pokémon fighting an army of Galactic grunts. The Townspeople were losing, being driven back by the massive hoard that was flooding the area.

I threw out the rest of my Pokémon, and together, we hurtled headlong into the fray, blasting attacks left right and centre into the Galactic mob. I picked up a tall stick, and using it like a staff, also joined in, lashing out at any foe that was stupid enough to attack me.

_Heh, just cause I'm a Pokémon trainer doesn't mean I can't protect myself _I thought as I whirled inside the guard of another one of the grunts, and cracked him over the head. Unfortunately, my makeshift weapon shattered on impact in doing so. With a grunt, I threw the broken pieces away, and picked up the weapons that my downed opponent had been using – a pair of Katanas. I picked up the sheaths and placed them diagonally across my back, putting away one of the two swords, twirling the other blade around my wrist as I did so.

The feel of bone cracking under my blows, the slice of the katanas as they slide through flesh and muscle and the cries of my foes as they fell under my onslaught only fuelled the adrenalin pumping through my veins, giving me a sort of euphoric pleasure as my Pokémon and I wreaked havoc on the opposing forces. It's an interesting feeling, one that can only be brought about through combat, and one that many others would find as twisted and disturbing. But me? Not at all. I've always been the odd one out, always the strange one.

With a proper weapon in my hand, the army of Galactics fell faster than ever. With my help, the townspeople were beginning to repel the assault on the town, pushing them further and further back until they could retreat no more. They were cornered at the edge of the island. Barely a fifth of their numbers remained, shepherded into a small circle. My neighbour strode forwards.

"Leave this Island and never return. There will be no mercy next time." He said. I walked up beside him, Featherblade, Inferno, Zero and Miro by my side.

Furiously, I flipped a throwing knife I had picked up, and growled angrily, "Tell Cyrus I sent my regards assholes." With that, I buried the throwing knife from one (very dead) Commander Saturn at the foot of Commander Mars, and watched as each of the grunts leapt onto their bird Pokémon and flew into the night sky. Last to go was Mars.

"We'll be back. I swear it." She hissed, before disappearing on her Staraptor.

The villagers began to cheer and me along with them. But I didn't realise that that was the only thing I would have to celebrate that night.

-0-Later-0-

I returned to my home in the Ironwood forest, just past Riveriron, several hours later. What I saw left my heart in my throat. My home was burned to cinders and the burned bodies of my family and friends were impaled on stakes outside the ruins.

"No…" I muttered, unable to believe the horror before my very eyes. My mother, sister, father, all of them were dead. My poor little sister's clothes were shredded, signalling that she had been _raped_ before her murder.

"No!" I cried again, collapsing to my knees. Tears welled behind my eyes as I beat the ground with my fist. The scent of blood filled my nose as I heaved in great, gasping breaths, trying to get air into my lungs as I choked on my tears.

Then I heard footsteps. And a cold, cruel laugh.

"Yes." The voice said, still chuckling darkly. With that, my head exploded in pain and my world went black.

* * *

A/N: Well that's the end of chapter six. Gruesome, isn't it? But I swear… one day, I'll make the culprits pay with their lives. On that, I _swear_.

The scenes change too much for my liking, but it was really the only way I could think of to bring it together... So for that I apologise. Hope you guys liked it and remember - REVIEW!


	8. Chapter 7: Survive

"_**Soul speech"**_

_**("Pokemon Soul speech")**_

"Speech"

_Thoughts_

("Pokémon Speech")

* * *

_Chapter 7: Survive_

_Last time:_

_I returned to my home in the Ironwood forest, just past Riveriron, several hours later. What I saw left my heart in my throat. My home was burned to cinders and the burned bodies of my family and friends were impaled on stakes outside the ruins._

_"No…" I muttered, unable to believe the horror before my very eyes. My mother, sister, father, all of them were dead. My poor little sister's clothes were shredded, signalling that she had been __raped__ before her murder._

_"No!" I cried again, collapsing to my knees. Tears welled behind my eyes as I beat the ground with my fist. The scent of blood filled my nose as I heaved in great, gasping breaths, trying to get air into my lungs as I choked on my tears._

_Then I heard footsteps. And a cold, cruel laugh._

_"Yes." The voice said, still chuckling darkly. With that, my head exploded in pain and my world went black._

-0- Present Day -0-

_Shit._ I thought. _Shit shit shit!_

We were trapped inside a tiny, flammable building with a massive monstrosity glaring at us through the window of the army disposal.

"_**Zero we have to find a way out! See if you can find an exit behind us, but be careful. I'll see if I can find one over here."**_

_**("On it.")**_

The Luxio slowly began to move backwards but froze only a few seconds later, when the beast's eye swivelled to look at him. Seeing this, I began to inch sideways while its attention was on the canine, stopping when the eye turned back to me. Painfully slowly, we made our way to our respective locations.

It was unfortunate, then, that it seemed there were no exits.

"_**I got nothing Zero, you?"**_

_**("Nope, me neith-Wait, there! Back corner underneath the stairs!")**_

"_**I see it."**_

Quickly, I concocted a plan to escape before letting Zero in on the idea.

"_**Now!**_**"**

The Luxio loosed a blast of light as I covered my eyes. With a roar, the thing wrenched it's head back in surprise, temporarily blinded.

We bolted over to the doorway and tried to open it, only to find that it was locked. Our time was quickly running out.

_Time to make our own exit then._

With that thought, I slammed my foot through the door, ripping it off its hinges and tearing the boards off the other side and ushering Zero through. Quickly I chanced a look back, catching sight of the monstrosity inhaling deeply. Never a good sign.

Folowing the electric canine out the door, we sprinted back the way we came. A blast of heat scalded my neck and I knew that we'd made a lucky escape from the (now burning) army disposal, though our flight was still not over. With a roar I spun on my heel and kicked off a wall in a sharp turn, glancing behind me to make sure Zero followed. I grinned, spotting him and laughed. Despite the situation, we could still find it in ourselves to enjoy the motions.

Something caught my eye as I turned forwards again and dived into a roll as a massive green and white blade came crashing into the floor.

_Great. More of them. Just what we need. _I frowned, knowing that I couldn't protect my friends and myself at the same time. Quickly, I called the Luxio back into his ball as we ran. Then, the town fell away and I was in the open expanse again. Another quick look behind me revealed what had been chasing us. A gargantuan Salamence and, if that was even possible, a Scyther that was larger still. I released a string of swearwords that would have made even a sailor shudder before spinning around. I had no idea how this would play out. All I knew was that I had no hope of escaping. Not against two foes that were both faster than I was, as well as able to fly.

As I ran, I surveyed my options within my head – which were dishearteningly small. I couldn't go into the forest until I escaped because I would be roasted alive by the oversized Salamence. I couldn't stay in the open grounds because the Scyther would slice me to ribbons as soon as I was caught. And if I went into the water, I would only be swept back towards the very beings that I was being chased by. As I saw it, each path led to death. So what was a trainer to do in a situation like this...?

I was screwed, because I had absolutely no clue.

Seemingly emphasising my point, I tripped, landing flat on my face and sliding several meters forward before coming to a halt.

Laying there in the path of the monstrous Pokémon would certainly be hazardous to my health, I knew. Yet somehow, I couldn't bring myself to care. At least it would be swift, if somewhat painful. Though, after my torturous experiences (quite literally), I wasn't sure how much pain I'd be able to feel, if any.

Time seemed to slow down as I lay there, perfectly ready to die. It was there that I felt something within me ignite. If I was going to die, then I would go down fighting, not fleeing. But it was more than that, as I soon found out. My body felt like it was burning. There was something new, something unusual. My vision flickered in front of me, like a heat haze in a desert.

_No._ I realised. _That's not my vision... I can see it. It's all changed..._

Everything in front of me had begun to glow brightly surrounded by the same haziness that flickered in front of my vision. Unbidden, A memory came to my mind. Two sentences that Mirora had given in reply when I asked her what it was like to wield Aura freely.

("It feels like my body is burning – power flooding my body.") she had said. ("Everything, everyone looks like it's burning, but each person's aura is different, In colour, intensity and even the way it's displayed.") I remembered her saying that one of the people we had met had a shattered aura. He had been completely insane and not even a shred of his mind remained.

And with a start, I realised what this was. This burning sensation, the glowing trees, fields, pokemon, even the running water was alight with different colours... It was aura.

I looked at my palms in wonder. They too were glowing. Or rather, burning – that was the only way to describe the way it flickered and writhed in front of my eyes, black as the night sky, yet somehow giving of a blood red glow.

Bringing my sight back to the Scyther – which had, by now, caught up to me – I looked within myself for a way to use this newfound ability. I didn't have to look far (which was probably a good thing considering I was about to be sliced to pieces) for it before finding something. The Aura within me. It was ball of black fire, the same as the Aura that surrounded my body now. Mentally, I touched it, and I could feel the connection blow wide open. On the outside, exactly that happened – My aura literally blew a crater in the ground, expanding almost 5 metres in diameter around me, and utterly incinerating the bladed arm that swung at my body as it came into contact with my flames.

I didn't even give myself time to stare in shock, and simply threw myself at the outrageously large Bug type as it looked at its charred stump of an arm, lashing out with a burning foot, which ploughed through the carapace with a gut wrenching crunch, literally separating the thing in two.

_So. Much. POWER!_ I thought, before blacking out.

Well, Sort of. I don't exactly remember what happened, all I know is that my body simply tore through the Salamence that had found us in the army disposal. It was dealt with in the most gruesome of ways too. It had been skinned alive, had its bones broken in so many places that it was horrifying – you could see where they pierced it's hide in at least seven different places, and it's body hung unnaturally in many, many more, and its eyes had been yanked out of their sockets. Worse, when I could still see the beating heart when I regained my senses, indicating that it was still alive.

With a shudder, I broke its neck, giving it a merciful death. What the hell had happened? What had I done? I could only assume that it was me, considering that I had been the only one around and my Pokémon were still in their Pokéballs.

I threw up, there and then at the sight in front of me, and fled the scene, wanting to banish the horrifying vision in front of my eyes from my mind.

-0- Later -0-

I had arrived back at Base camp, riding on Miro's back, and quietly isolated myself in a dark corner of the little enclosure. My Pokémon seemed very confused at my current state, wondering what had happened to make me so withdrawn. One by one they approached me as I sat, huddled away from the fire they had built, and asked me what was wrong. One by one, I turned them away, telling them that I was fine.

But I wasn't. After what I had done, how could I be? I knew I was capable of killing, I'd done it before and knew I would do it again, whether I wanted to or not. But never had I lost control of myself the way I had today, and never had I been unable to see what I was doing. I was in utter turmoil within, but didn't want to show my friends. I had to be strong, for them. Especially after escaping the clutches of Team Galactic after so many years of imprisonment.

Alas, they returned one final time, all together and physically dragged me to the fire where they curled up around me. No matter where I looked, I always saw one of their faces.

("What's going on Poka.") Miro broached the subject first, startling me. Not because of the fact that they were trying to get me to open up to them, but because she called me something that wasn't really my name.

I cocked my head to the side, wondering why they had called me that, when Featherblade chirped, ("We decided that you should be known by another name – it'll give you some security at the very least – They'll be looking for you after all, and would have most likely told anyone to look out for you by that name. It won't help if someone recognises you, but it does provide you at least a little protection. But don't change the subject.")

Inferno nodded her head as I turned to look at her pleadingly, but she just ignored the look. ("We know there's something wrong.") She said.

("Just tell us. You know we'll get it out of you sooner or later.") Zero chimed in.

I sighed and shook my head. "Guys, I'm fine."

("Tauroshit, and you know it. The blood on your clothing tells us this as well as anything.") Mirora growled, lashing her tail, the golden orbs shining brightly in the flickering fire. ("Tell us, and then we can help you work this out.")

With a glare, I stubbornly shook my head, stating once again that I was perfectly alright.

("Fine then. You've forced our hand.")

With a cry of shock, I was assaulted from all sides and pinned to the ground, where I felt Mirora's aura latch on to my own with my newly discovered abilities. I had no idea what she was doing though.

Soon, she waved the others off and I was allowed to sit up – though I didn't have any time to as I was once again assaulted by Mirora, this time in the form of a soft, caring hug.

("He's scared guys.") Mirora murmured as I held her close to me, a single tear trickling out of my eye. This caused the others to join in with the hug as she explained exactly what I was feeling and why. I still didn't know what she had done – she hadn't used our soul bond, which meant that it was purely aura. She must have somehow read my mind through my own aura by linking hers with mine.

Soon, the firelight began to die down, and the others began to drift off beside me, until it was merely Miro and I who were still awake – she was taking first shift tonight. And as I began to fall into that realm between sleep and wake, a voice echoed within my head, causing me to bolt upright.

'_Hello Poka. Welcome to your never ending nightmare!'_

* * *

A/N: And so ends chapter seven of Poka's Past. Arceus knows – you guys have certainly been waiting long enough for it. Last time I updated was almost a year ago to the day. I'm sorry for leaving you guys hanging for so long, but I'm back, and this time, I'm not going anywhere! Suffice to say I've had a shitload of stuff going on, not the least of which was finishing year twelve and starting my "University" course. I put that in quotes because it's neither uni, collage, tafe or secondary school – something in between, really. I'm doing Art – aiming to go into games design and animation. On top of that, I've had a lot of psychological issues to deal with as well. I'm getting a psychologist to help me with that so... yeah.

How many of you think that you know what the voice was? Any of you who can guess will receive a free internet-cake as a gift from me. :) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter – roughly 2k in words. I should really be increasing my word count considering how long I leave you guys high and dry...

A/N 2: Please note that this has NOT been beta'd yet. I'm sending the chapter to my beta now, but I thought that - given how long you guys had waited, that you deserved this. Anyway... you know the drill. Type in your review and click that button down there that says review!

*The shifter formally known as Poka, wishing you a good day and signing off!


	9. Chapter 8: The Prince of Darkness

"_**Soul speech"**_

_**("Pokemon Soul speech")**_

"Speech"

_Thoughts_

("Pokémon Speech")

'_The Voice'_

"_mind speech"_

Chapter 8: The Prince of Darkness

_Last time:_

_With a glare, I stubbornly shook my head, stating once again that I was perfectly alright._

_("Fine then. You've forced our hand.")_

_With a cry of shock, I was assaulted from all sides and pinned to the ground, where I felt Mirora's aura latch on to my own with my newly discovered abilities. I had no idea what she was doing though._

_Soon, she waved the others off and I was allowed to sit up – though I didn't have any time to as I was once again assaulted by Mirora, this time in the form of a soft, caring hug._

_("He's scared guys.") Mirora murmured as I held her close to me, a single tear trickling out of my eye. This caused the others to join in with the hug as she explained exactly what I was feeling and why. I still didn't know what she had done – she hadn't used our soul bond, which meant that it was purely aura. She must have somehow read my mind through my own aura by linking hers with mine._

_Soon, the firelight began to die down, and the others began to drift off beside me, until it was merely Miro and I who were still awake – she was taking first shift tonight. And as I began to fall into that realm between sleep and wake, a voice echoed within my head, causing me to bolt upright._

'Hello Poka. Welcome to your never ending nightmare!'

-0-Present Day-0-

I cried out in shock as a veritable torrent of images cascaded down upon my mind. Memories of what I had done, who I had seen, who I was close to, where I was from, where I'd been, how I'd grown up – everything I'd seen and done was presented to me in a rush of memories flying by so fast that I barely had time to register them before the next one shoved its way to the fore of my mind.

'_you see this? This is who you are. I know you – inside and out. I know what you've done, to whom and when. I... Am you. You and I are one, nothing and nobody will change that fact. It was I who saved your ass on the fields, dispatching the Salamence. I'm the reason you are here today, and you are the reason I am here today. Your past is what created me – I'm born from all the pain, hatred and rage that you have pent up inside of you.'_

"_What?" _I responded dumbly _"So... what, you're some sort of split personality?"_

The voice chuckled darkly. _'No, not split – I'm a completely different entity. I'm you, but I am also not. I am my own person, but I share your body.'_

With a snort, I replied_ "So? You and are stuck together. Great, just what I needed, a second personality on top of all my problems."_

Again, all I got was a laugh – cold and cruel – and I shivered as I listened. _"I'm exactly what you need. I can help you destroy Team Galactic and all who oppose you. Together, we'll be unstoppable..."_

The voice went silent after that. I didn't hear from him for the rest of the night and fell back into a fitful sleep.

-0-

The next day I was awoken from my slumber by the sound of a soft chuckle. Opening my eyes, I made note of Mirora curled up protectively around me, and the soft laughter of my two canine Pokémon as they conversed in low tones only a few feet nearby. I wasn't sure where Featherblade was, nor was I sure when Miro had curled herself around me.

("Hey sleepyhead.") the she-dragon murmured, cracking open an eye.

"Hey yourself. When did this happen?" I replied, smiling softly as I gestured to her protective cocoon that she'd effectively made around me with her body.

With a quiet sigh, she explained, ("You seemed like you were having nightmares last night and could use some comfort. So I came over and you just... snuggled into me. Actually... it was more like you latched on to me like I was a lifeline. Whatever you were dreaming about must have been some nightmare.")

_Was that all it was...? just... just a nightmare...?_ I didn't know, but I sure as hell hoped it was. Knowing my luck though...

With a shake of my head, I dispelled that line of thought and began my morning routine, rousing the rest of my 'mon from their Pokéballs and together we set about our chores. Cleaning up the scraps from our meal and hiding the remains of our camp fire, we decided that it would be best to move on. No doubt those monstrosities where created by Team Galactic. It wouldn't be that hard to track something that big, yet for them both to die – and on the same day none the less – would raise some suspicions. Especially since they had just recently wiped a town off the face of the planet.

Trusting my instinct, we floated downstream once again, bypassing the demolished village. Unfortunately, this led us by the horror that was yesterday's fight.

And then it began.

'_You like the sight before you? I think it's rather... pretty.'_ The voice commented, causing me to almost literally jump out of my skin in shock and swear. It snickered.

Growling mentally, I closed my eyes and pinched myself, hoping that I was dreaming again.

'_What, you think that's going to work? Newsflash, this isn't a dream. I'm not a figment of your imagination.'_

I pinched myself anyway, though, predictably, it was still there.

"_Why are you here... What do you want from me?"_

With a dark chuckle, the voice simply said, _'I've already told you the first. I'm here because of you. As for what I want... well, you'll find out in due time.'_

Mentally giving him (for his voice seemed masculine, if somewhat distorted) the bird, I returned my concentration to the river, trying very hard not to throw up. Mirora, for her part, chose not to comment on the sight.

-0-

It was dark by the time I felt safe. We'd found a cavern on top of a hill just outside of one of the forests we'd travelled through. I had no idea where I was, but the place was picturesque, A trickling river running at the base of the hill, which looked out over the forest. The forest was set against the backdrop of Mt Coronet, the mountain's peaks that split Sinnoh in half. The sight was utterly stunning and took my breath away. The beauty wasn't why I'd chosen the place however – The hill was hard to get to from anywhere that wasn't the river or the skies, but the skies were so open that anyone would be seen from miles around. The base of the hill was far enough that the same could be said for the ground too. On top of that, the den itself was warm and cosy, and seemingly uninhabited.

Exhausted, Mirora and I entered the hole in the hill as I released Inferno, Zero and Featherblade.

"Two guards tonight guys. The place is wide open so we'll see anything that's coming, but it is night, and it would be easy to miss anything. Rouse everyone at the slightest incident, okay? Zero, Featherblade, you two take the first watch tonight." I gave a tired yawn and lay down my bag, Miro curling up around me. Soon, we were dead to the world.

-0-

With a start, I opened my eyes, body tense. Something, or someone, was there. It was clear that Inferno and Miro hadn't sensed anything yet, but I knew something was going on. Opening my soul links to the two, I broadcast what I'd sensed. My new aura abilities were going haywire, and that was the only reason I'd noticed anything at all. A dark blue aura was reacting to my own, seeming to fight with hostile abandon. It was a Pokémon, But what, I wasn't sure.

**("Poka, I sense what you're feeling, but I can't sense it myself...") **The serpentine dragoness was radiating worry through our bond.

I frowned. That she, a far more competent and far more experienced aura user couldn't sense the Pokémon in the den was worrying. Clearly, it was very, very adept in its own aura abilities, or at least in being able to hide it. So the question was, why could I sense it?

Unfortunately, I wasn't given time to find out, as from the shadows, leaping from pure _stone_ of all things, an Arcanine burst into space and slammed into me, knocking me onto my back and causing me to gasp as the breath was knocked from my body. It was no ordinary Arcanine, however, a deep, dark blue-black in colour, chocolate brown eyes glaring into my own as he stood above me regally. In a deep growl, the Arcanine spoke. Not, Pokémon speech, but actual English.

"Who are you and why are you in my den? This place is sacred! No human has ever been able to find this cave, let alone slept in it!"

("Calm down, we mean this place no harm, merely looking for a place to stay.") Inferno, of our entire group, was the first one to speak up, and telling the mystery Arcanine to calm down – coming from her, that was very amusing considering she was the one that was quickest to anger.

With a growl I kicked the Arcanine off me and sprung to my feet with a quick backward roll, putting space in between the two of us. "Inferno has it right. We were merely looking for a place to stay the night before moving on." I growled. "We mean this place no harm."

The Arcanine narrowed his eyes. "Hmm... Fine. I suppose that's okay. But if you go any further into this cave... I'll make you regret it."

Unwittingly, I snorted, causing the Legend pokemon to glare at me.

"You think I'm joking?" he asked, a decidedly frosty tone in his voice.

"Not at all. I just think you should be careful who you say that to. Perhaps I may not be as strong or as fast or as clever as you are... but one day, there will be someone who will take offense and will make you eat your words." I murmured.

The Arcanine narrowed his eyes at me again and opened his mouth to say something... only to get cut off when I spoke up again.

"As the guests in this abode... I would like to inquire as to whom you are, if I may?"

He blinked at the unexpected question, but answered anyway. "Night. My name is Night. And I am the Prince of Darkness, son of Darkrai himself."

With a humble nod, I cracked a small smile and bowed slightly in respect, despite our tense start. "Well then, Prince of darkness, thank you for opening up your home to us for the night. It is a pleasure to meet you!"

-0-

It turned out that we stayed longer than a day. Despite our rough start, Night and I soon became fast friends, and I learned why he stayed here, protecting this place. He was a Guardian – one of thirteen – that was tasked to protect a special object.

The soul of the daughter of Dialga, the Lord of Time.

When he told me that, I had to question, and so I broached the subject.

-0-

"Hey, Night... Can I ask you something?"

He merely paused and nodded, before going back to chewing on one of the kills we'd made to get some food. Between myself and Night, as well as my Pokémon, we'd run out of our rations pretty quick, despite the meagre meals we'd had.

"Why did you tell me about Jenna?" I asked, tilting my head in confusion. "I mean, we haven't known each other long, yet, telling me something as important as this seems... Well, don't take offense, but it seems utterly stupid. You even SHOWED me where she was. What if I accidentally let slip about her? What if someone forces it out of me?"

The Prince of Darkness merely shrugged and looked at me critically. "It's quite simple really. There are three reasons. One, despite our short time together, I consider you my closet friend, if not my brother."

I blinked at that, before breaking into a slight grin. "Thanks man, that means a lot to me."

With another nod, this time of acknowledgement, he continued. "Second reason is gut instinct. It's never been wrong yet and I trust it. Thirdly – and most importantly – you breached the wards (for lack of a better term) surrounding this place. No human has ever been able to do that. If you could get in, then either they've collapsed – which they haven't, because I'd feel it – or your soul is pure enough that the wards would let you pass without harm. I find myself trusting you more and more each day Poka, something that I cannot be upset with."

Cracking a smile, I sat down beside him, showing my thanks with a soft hug.

-0-

It was too good to last however. That night, the Voice in my head returned for the first time since I acquired my aura abilities.

It began with a mad cackle and my head exploded in pain, causing me to cry out in agony and collapse to the floor, writhing as the pain spread from my head to my chest and then all the way out to my fingers and toes.

Then all I could see was white.

* * *

A/N: That's chapter 8 down. Sorry it's taking so long guys! I've got a ton of stuff going on in my life, not the least of which is the move that's coming up. So yeah, but... I admit, much of it is from sheer laziness. I am trying to keep it up for you guys though. Anyway, take care of yourselves. Oh, and one more thing...

REVIEW!


	10. Chapter 9: Nightmare

"_**Soul speech"**_

_**("Pokemon Soul speech")**_

"Speech"

_Thoughts_

("Pokémon Speech")

'_The Voice'_

"_mind speech"_

Chapter 9: Nightmare or Vision?

_Last time: _

_It was too good to last however. That night, the Voice in my head returned for the first time since I acquired my aura abilities. _

_It began with a mad cackle and my head exploded in pain, causing me to cry out in agony and collapse to the floor, writhing as the pain spread from my head to my chest and then all the way out to my fingers and toes._

_Then all I could see was white._

-0-

I was presented with what I thought was a memory, the colours swirling all around me before they shifted into focus. The smell of burning air and charred flesh, the sound of feet slapping the earth as someone ran. The taste of copper in my mouth – blood. Through the haze, I could make out a burning building. Perhaps this was the memory of my escape from the Galactics?

Looking around me, I soon realised, however, that this was no memory.

Something was very wrong. Where was I? What happened? For that matter, when was I? As the haze began to dissipate, I also spotted more buildings – many in ruins, confirming that this was no memory – far too many buildings to be my escape, and I hadn't been there for the destruction of the town we had passed through, so it couldn't be that either.

But did that mean this was a vision, perhaps? That, I wasn't certain of either – I hated the thought that the future was set in stone, so preferred not to believe in such things.

With a frown, I started forward, trekking towards higher ground. Along the way, I began to note the smaller details. The sky was no longer blue. Nor even the deep midnight colour of the night sky. Instead, it was a fiery red. The scent of blood was far stronger than I had first thought, and the stench of charred meat hung in the air. I began to see bits and pieces of both people and Pokémon alike.

What was going on?

Still having no idea where I was, I continued. As I crested the hill I climbed, I suddenly wished I hadn't. In all directions I looked, bodies lay, some whole, others... not so much. Some sort of battle had taken place here. I could make out the features of some of the bodies, human and Pokémon alike, yet thankfully, none that I recognised. I could, on occasion, make out their clothing too, where it hadn't been melted or burned into their skin. Many of those wore the remainders of galactic uniforms, yet others looked like average trainers. Something, perhaps many something's, had passed through here, and from the way the bodies were facing, it looked like they were all fighting whatever had come through, and lost. Badly.

As I walked, I noticed, everywhere around me craters littered the devastated land. There was no flora, nor fauna. The land looked like it too, had been fighting whatever had passed. Slowly, disturbingly, I began to piece together that whatever had passed through here was alone. It had done all of this by itself. An experiment gone wrong perhaps? Considering the presence of the galactic, it was a distinct possibility. Yet a worse thought occurred to me - had the Galactics succeeded in their goals, with this result? Then why would they be fighting too, if that was the case? Was the entire world burning? I had no idea. But it seemed that I was destined to find out.

Again, almost unwillingly considering the amount of bloodshed that had happened, I continued forwards, before stopping again almost immediately. Night had once told me of the Guardians, of which he was one of seventeen. Supposedly, the Guardians were near demigods in power. Had one of them gone rogue? Had one of them done this? Had one of the gods ordered them to do this?

The thought was so crazy it may well have been true.

Yet, much to my shock, I noted that the Guardians had indeed been here. And a very, very large battle had ensued, spreading far out of sight. Despite the sweltering heat, ice had frosted over the ground. Electricity crackled along puddles of water and deep gouges in the ground had molten steel left over in them. Shadows, unnatural shadows seemed to roll on the ice, remanets of some dark type attack. And everywhere I looked, blood lay splattered on the ground. I followed the trail of desecration onwards.

After what felt like hours, the trail of the Guardian's battle had ended. And disturbingly, I counted each and every one of them there, minus my brother. Had Night done this? Even with his power, it didn't seem possible... yet, even I didn't know the fullest extent, and supposedly, he was the strongest of all seventeen Guardians.

I kept walking, mind reeling.

With growing anxiety now overcoming the numbness of what I was seeing, I began to run. I felt trapped, like a Meowth up a tree. Not anxious for myself, but for my loved ones.

Mirora.

Night.

Inferno.

Featherblade.

Zero.

Even a familiar, yet faceless name; Tara.

What had happened to them? None were here, so surely that was a good sign?

Then, there was a scream. A voice I knew all too well and a sound that was utterly alien from that voice. What could cause my closest friend and the strongest Pokémon I know to utter such a blood curling cry?

My feet carried me faster, despite my uncertainty that I would be able to do anything against something so strong. I didn't care. My Pokémon were my life. They were my family. They were my friends - my only friends, with the exception of my brother. And I would do anything to save them.

Eyes visibly narrowing as I found my resolve, I raced forwards, surroundings blurring past me. Aura pulsed in my feet, pushing me further, and faster.

Her scream sounded again and my pace picked up in response. Nothing would stop me from saving her. The closer I got, the louder it became. Then, I spotted two figures on top of another hill. Fire lit them from behind, so I couldn't make out their features. One was definitely a Dragonair. Mirora. The other, I couldn't quite tell. But I didn't slow down, instead ascending the hill rapidly.

Yet suddenly, I found myself slowing, like I was trying to run through jelly. My surroundings shifted back into focus once again, despite how hard I was working. Figuring that it was best to save my energy, I slowed to a fast walk, again observing the scenery, this time making sure to look for any potential traps that may have been placed, or any advantages the terrain could give me.

The side affect... I could now make out the faces of the bodies on the ground again. And each became more recognisable than the last, until I was finding that which I dreaded. My friends and family, the people I love so dearly, were dead, visibly having undergone very recent torture. Night lay sliced open, his innards hanging from his body. His fur had literally been melted off of his body, skin torn and shredded. It was clear that the most brutal of tortures had been reserved for each of my loved ones, and they were each equally brutal.

At least I knew that Night wasn't the one who had killed everyone though...

Closer still I went, and with each step I came closer and closer to finding out the creature behind this.

Taking a final step up the hill, I realised that I could now make out the details of person.

It was worse than I could ever have imagined. The figure, now unveiled... was me.

I stood atop the hill, holding the golden dragoness by the throat in one hand and a blade in my other, two sharp scythes that protruded from the side also acting as the guard. Shirtless, the numerous scars from my time in captivity were obvious. Some, even, that I didn't yet have. Cuts littered my body, some bleeding fresh from battle while other less recent ones, likely from the earlier battles I had seen stained my skin. Yet the figure was still clearly my own. And as the figure turned, I caught a glimpse of red in my eyes, a manic grin on my face.

-0-

I sat up, gasping for breath and completely drenched, the scent of smoke, and blood burning my nostrils. Everything was still visible in front of me, overlayed on top of reality, though it quickly began to fade. A remanent of my nightmares.

I swiped at my brow with my soaked sleave, not really succeeding in doing anything more than getting sweat in my eyes.

Beside me, Night sat watching with obvious concern. "Are you okay brother?"

I simply nodded, waving my hand. "Yeah, fine." Came the murmured reply. Truth was; I was anything but. That couldn't have been me, could it? Yet I was certain that it was indeed me I'd seen. And I had little doubt that the bodies of my friends were from my own actions too.

With another swipe of my brow, I stood, and exited the cave, Night following mutely.

"That nightmare... Was it a vision?" The Prince of Darkness inquired after a few minutes of silence.

A deep sigh escaped my lips before I replied. "Honestly, I'm not sure, though I find myself beginning to think that it is, no matter how I hate the idea. What I saw... It can't be allowed to happen."

"What did you see?"

I closed my eyes to the pristine world around me, and immediately the burning flames of my nightmare sprung up in its place. "Death, brother... death... and outright destruction of the world."

* * *

A/N: Well, FINALLY another chapter. Sorry about the wait, once again. but I moved houses, had so much trouble with getting my internet and a lot of other stuff... but yeah. No excuses, just explanations. I'm much more free at the moment and have already started on chapter ten. Anyway, stick around and find out what happens in the next chapter of The Shifter Chronicles: Poka's Past!


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